2018 Merzouga Rally : Stage 3 and Stage 4 Results

The third day of the 9th edition of the Afriquia Merzouga Rally was packed to the brim with action. The racers faced the first leg of the 241.1km marathon through the heart of the desert without any support crew! Along the way, they soldiered through the dunes of Rissani erg, Chebbi erg along with the sand in Fezou region and Ouzina erg before finishing at the campsite.

Hero rider Oriol Mena climbed up nine places and finished the race in 16th position while CS Santosh made steady progress and climbed up eight positions to finish 20th overall.

The 233km-long fourth stage of Afriquia Merzouga Rally proved exhausting for both, TVS Sherco and Hero MotoSports. The treacherous dunes of the Moroccan desert were filled with surprises and obstacles. In spite of the tussle, factory TVS rider Martin Diego Duplessis managed to clinch a commendable 10th place finish, followed by fellow teammate Joan Pedrero finishing 15th, despite a minor fall during the stage. Pedrero clocked a total time of 14hr 13m 47s. That’s 46m 58s behind the rally leader, Joan Barreda (Honda). Factory TVS rider Vanni Cominotto, on the other hand, finished 36th in the fourth stage.

Mena finished the stage at 40th place, which takes him to an overall ranking of 17th, while C S Santosh finished 37th, retaining the 20th spot in the overall standing. The final motocross stage will showcase 49km of fast paced action, where riders would be seen battling it out for the win. Pedrero has a good chance of claiming overall victory tomorrow, despite finishing 15th in Stage 4.